Excess roll separation pressure release means for wringers



Jan. 26, 1965 c. B. OLSEN 3,166,926

EXCESS ROLL. SEPARATION PRESSURE RELEASE MEANS FOR WRINGERS Filed Nov. 20, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

,0. ATTORNEYS Jan. 26, 1965 c. B. OLSEN 3,166,926

EXCESS ROLL SEPARATION PRESSURE RELEASE MEANS FOR WRINGERS INVENTOR.

& 6/90 5 0/56/7 BY wt flm v :ZATTORNEYS United States Patent C 3,166,925 EXCESS RQLL SEPARATIGN PRESSURE RELEASE MEANS FDR WRINGERS Cleo B. @lsen, Waterloo, lowa, assignor to Chamberlain Corporation, Waterloo, Iowa, a corporation of lowa Filed Nov. 20, 19th, er. No. 238,855 7 Claims. (Cl. 68-259) This invention relates to improvements in excess roll separation pressure release means for wringers, and more particularly to pressure release means for wringers of the type commonly used with household washing machines, although the invention will have other uses and purposes as will be apparent to one skilled in the art.

For the safety of the operator and at times the material being worked upon, washing machine Wringers have been provided with pressure release means, which are usually in the form of a bar extending along each side of the wringer near the top of the wringer. Many and various forms of mechanism to accomplish pressure release have been developed, and in some instances such mechanisms were responsive to release pressure if the rolls became separated by something passing therebetween beyond a predetermined amount. The thought behind such means was added protection to the operator in the case the operator had a hand or arm caught between the wringer rolls and was too paralyzed by pain or fright to actuate the manual pressure release means, or in the case of a child without sufficient knowledge to actuate the manual release mechanism having its arm caught between the rolls. Some of these mechanisms heretofore developed for this purpose embodied pivotal overload levers arranged after a predetermined amount of movement to release the pressure between the rolls, and in other instance toggles associated with the pressure springs in a manner to reduce the mechanical advantage of the springs and thus reduce the pressure upon movement to a certain extent were utilized. Some of these previously known mechanisms did not completely release the pressure on the rolls, but merely reduced it. In every instance of which I am aware formerly known mechanisms operated by excessive roll separation did not cooperate with the manually actuated pressure release bars, but functioned independently.

With the foregoing in mind, it is an important object of the instant invention to provide a wringer in which the means that apply pressure to the rolls act directly upon the pressure release bars in the event the rolls separate beyond a predetermined point, and thus eifect pressure release.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a wringer in which the means that establish pressure between the rolls acts directly upon the manually actuable pressure release bars when the rolls have separated a predetermined amount to operate the release bars in the same manner they would be operated manually.

It is also a feature of this invention to provide a wringer structure in which the means applying pressure to the rolls acts in a reverse direction against the release bars when the rolls have separated a predetermined extent, and so those means augment any pressure that is placed upon the release bars to effect a complete release of pressure.

It is also a desideraturn of this invention to provide a wringer structure in which the means that apply pressure to the rolls act in the reverse direction against the manually operable release bars when the rolls are separated a predetermined extent to cooperate with any pressure that might be placed upon the release bars manually and thus effect a faster complete pressure release.

It is still a further feature of the instant invention to provide a wringer structure that is simple in construcice tion, economical, and positive in its pressure release action without any manual aid.

While some of the more salient features, characteristics and advantages of the instant invention have been above pointed out, others will become apparent from the following disclosures, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a pictorial plan-elevational view of a wringer embodying principles of the instant invention, with parts broken away to expose parts therebeneath;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary enlarged end elevational view taken from the left-hand side of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially as indicated by the line IIIIII of FIGURE 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, and illustrating the operation of the pressure release arrangement; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional view, with parts in elevation, taken substantially as indicated by the line lV-IV of FIGURE 3.

As shown on the drawings:

The illustrated embodiment of the instant invention is shown associated with a wringer assembly seen best in FIGURES l and 4. This assembly includes a frame comprising a lower channel I, an outer end stile 2, and an inner end stile 3. Each of the end'stiles is provided with a bearing cage as indicated at 4 and 5 respectively.

Within the frame is a lower wringer roll 6 having its shaft 7 journalled in bearing blocks 8 and 9 which are seated in the bottom channel and project upwardly in the bearing cages 4 and 5. Above the lower roll is an upper roll it), and its shaft 11 has the ends thereof seated in bearing blocks 12 and 13 carried in holders 15 and 16 respectively which are slidable in the respective bearing cages 4 and 5. A bowed pressure spring 17 has its ends extending through suitable openings in the holders 15 and 16 so that the spring ends rest upon the bearing blocks 12 and 13.

Over the top of the wringer frame is a top bar 18 of channel shape, pivoted at the point 19 (FIGURE 4) to the interior mechanism of a wringer head 24) shown in FIGURE 1, all in a known manner. Inside, the top bar has an internally threaded stud, through which means controlled by a dial 22 may vary the pressure exerted by the top bar upon the pressure spring 17, also in a known manner.

As seen in FIGURE 1, each side of the wringer assembly may be provided with a suitable drainboard 23.

Pressure on the rolls is established by the actuation of a toggle mechanism disposed at the outer end of the wringer frame. This toggle mechanism includes a channel shaped link 24 which functions as a resetting lever and which is pivoted to the top bar 18, externally of the sides of the bar by Way of a through pin 25, as seen clearly in FIGURE 2. Inside the link 24 is a second link 26 pivoted adjacent one end to the link 24 by way of a cross pin 27, and pivoted adjacent its other end to lugs on the outer end stile 2 by way of a pin 28. This toggle mechanism functions in a known manner, and when the link 24 is manually forced downwardly into the position seen in FIGURE 4, pressure is applied by way of the top bar and spring 17 on the bearings of the upper roll, forcing the upper roll downwardly into pressurized contact with the lower roll. Pressure is maintained by virtue of the fact that the toggle linkage is an overcenter mechanisrn, the center of the pivot pin 28 being outward of a line connecting the centers of the pivot pins 27 and 25, when the mechanism is in pressure applying position.

Pressure may be released in an emergency by pressing downward upon either of a pair of pressure release bars 29 and 30 disposed on opposite sides of the wringer. As seen best in FIGURE 3 each of these bars has an inwardly extending portion 31 and a downwardly inclined inner end portion 32 which projects directly over the outer end of the pressure spring 17 in spaced relationship thereto. The part 31 of the release bar extends through an opening 33 in the Wringer top bar 18 and just outside that opening, the release bar is provided with a downwardly extending pressure bead 34. The opposite end of the release bar is similarly pivotally connected to the top bar 18. As seen in FIGURES l and 2, the pressure applying toggle link 24 at the top thereof has an outstanding ear 35 on each side, and each ear 35 extends directly beneath and in contact with a pressure bead 34 on a release bar. Consequently when the release bar is pressed inwardly and downwardly, the bead 34 forces the ear 35 downward and the link 24 is pivoted outwardly beyond its overcenter position permitting pressure on the rolls to be instantly released.

Pressure on the rolls is automatically released, in the event something passing between the rolls causes them to separate more than a predetermined distance. Such separation of the rolls is by way of the upper roll rising, since the lower roll cannot descend. With reference to FIG- URE 3, it will be noted that should something pass between therolls causing the upper roll to rise from the full line position'to the dotted line position, the ends of the pressure spring 17 must also rise and come in contact with both the turned ends 3232 on the release bars 29 and 30, thus forcing these ends upwardly and causing motion of the release bars in the same manner they are moved manually. Pressure release is effected by forcing the release bars to bear down on the ears 35 on the lever toggle link 24, just exactly as is the case when either bar is pushed by hand.

It is therefore apparent if anything large enough to injure the Wringer mechanism should enter between the rolls, pressure will automatically be removed from the rolls, permitting the upper roll to be elevated to any necessary extent. Likewise, if the operator should have a hand or arm caught between the rolls, and be too paralyzed with pain or fright to actuate the release bars manually, or should a child have a hand or arm caught between the rolls and be without sufficient knowledge to manually actuate a release bar, full and complete pressure release is automatically provided upon roll separation beyond a predetermined amount, which amount depends upon the spacing between the inner ends 32 of the release bars and the ends of the pressure spring 17.

It will be noted that when something passes between the rolls tending to separate them sufficiently for automatic pressure release, any pressure that the operator may be able to put upon a release bar will speed up the action since the operators pressure will be augmented by contact of the spring 17 with the projection 32 on the release bar and the two forces will obviously actuate the release bar a trifle sooner.

In view of the foregoing, it is apparent that I have provided a simple and positively acting automatic pressure release for a wringer assembly, which pressure release functions when anything passes between the rolls and separates them over a. predetermined extent. The structure is extremely economical since the provision of the automatically acting release costs only a negligible amount more than the provision of release bars without the inwardly extending end portion 32.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a wringer,

a frame,

upper and lower rolls in said frame,

means to apply pressure on said rolls,

a release bar on each side of said frame operable to release the pressure on said rolls, and

an extension on each said release bar spaced directly above the pressure applying means,

whereby when said rolls are separated a predetermined extent at least one of said bars is actuated to release pressure by the pressure applying means pushing directly against said extensions.

2. In a wringer,

a frame,

upper and lower rolls in said frame,

means to apply pressure on said rolls,

manually operable means, including a manually engageable reelase bar, to release the pressure on said rolls, and

extension means on said manually engageaole release bar directly overlying said pressure applying means,

whereby when said rolls are separated a predetermined extent against the action of said pressure applying means, said manually operable means are actuated to release pressure by upward movement and direct push of the pressure applying means on said extension means.

3. In a wringer,

a frame,

upper and lower rolls in said frame,

bearing means for said rolls,

a pivotal top bar over said frame and rolls,

a bowed pressure spring beneath said top bar having its ends resting on the bearing means for the upper roll,

toggle means to hold down the top bar to cause said spring to apply pressure to said roll-s,

release bars pivoted to said top bar and operable by hand to cause said toggle mechanism to move to pressure released position, and

extensions on said release bars inwardly of the pivot points and directly overlying the ends of said pressure spring in spaced relationship thereto,

whereby said pressure spring directly actuates at least one of said release bars when forced againt said extensions by excess roll separation.

4. In a wringer,

a frame,

upper and lower rolls in said frame,

bearing means for said rolls,

means to apply and hold pressure on said rolls,

a release her pivoted to said frame, and

an extension on said bar inwardly of the pivot point and directly overlying the bearing means for the upper roll in spaced relationship thereto,

whereby said extension may be forced upwardly and the release bar directly actuated to release roll pressure upon excess separation of the rolls.

5. In a wringer,

a frame,

upper and lower rolls in said frame,

bearing means for said rolls,

means to apply and hold pressure on said rolls,

pivotally connected links forming an overcenter toggle arrangement to hold said pressure applying means in pressure applying position,

an ear projecting from a link of said toggle arrangement,

a release bar pivoted to said frame in position to strike said car When pivoted and move said toggle arrangement to pressure released position, and

an extension on said release bar inwardly of the pivot point overlying the bearing means for the upper roll in spaced relation-ship thereto,

whereby said release bar is actuated to effect pressure release by direct pressure on said extension upon excess roll separation.

6. In a wringer,

(a) a frame,

(b) upper and lower rolls in said frame,

(c) means to apply pressure in a first direction on said rolls, said means being forced in an opposite direction upon separation of the rolls, and

(d) a manually engageable and operable pressure re- 5 6 lease bar having a part thereof in the path of said means on said release bar extending in the path of opposite movement of said pressure applying means movement of the bearing means for said one roll and operable both manually and, upon excess roll when said bearing means move in the opposite separation, by said pressure applying means. direction, 7. In a wringer, 5 whereby said release bar is actuated through the last said a frame, means upon a predetermined amount of roll separation upper and lower rolls in said frame, in the same manner as it may be manually actuated to bearing means for said rolls, release pressure on the rolls. means to apply pressure in a first direction to said rolls,

said means and the bearing means for one of said 1 Reffl'ellces flied ill the file of this Patent rolls being forced in an opposite direction upon UNITED STATES PATENTS separation of said rolls, w a manually engageable and operable pressure release 222547O kitten et 1940 bar pivoted to said frame and connected to release FOREIGN PATENTS Said pressure pp y g means when manually actu- 15 498,784 Great Britain 1m 13, 1939 ated, and 

6. IN A WRINGER, (A) A FRAME, (B) UPPER AND LOWER ROLLS IN SAID FRAME, (C) MEANS TO APPLY PRESSURE IN A FIRST DIRECTION ON SAID ROLLS, SAID MEANS BEING FORCED IN AN OPPOSITE DIRECTION UPON SEPARATION OF THE ROLLS, AND (D) A MANUALLY ENGAGEABLE AND OPERABLE PRESSURE RELEASE BAR HAVING A PART THEREOF IN THE PATH OF SAID OPPOSITE MOVEMENT OF SAID PRESSURE APPLYING MEANS AND OPERABLE BOTH MANUALLY AND, UPON EXCESS ROLL SEPARATION, BY SAID PRESSURE APPLYING MEANS. 